Who should I trust here?

[Rum Bum]

Hey guys,

I think this is the best spot to ask this question. A few days ago I put up a thread in the Classifieds to try and sell my copper pot still. I got an offer but I'm not sure how to tell if the person is a real buyer or a po po. He just opened an account the day he sent me his first message.

Help please,
Rum Bum

[rad14701]

Personally, I would be hesitant to do business with any new member attempting to buy or sell in these forums until they have participated enough to gain a level of trust...

We have at least one or two low post count members offering goods that members should be careful in dealing with... We really don't need folks joining here just to try to make a buck - or to potentially entrap unknowing members...

[blanikdog]

What a strange question.

[Rum Bum]

What a strange question.

From the one and only Rum Bum.

[MuleKicker]

go with your gut man. if it dont feel right, it probably aint.

[Rum Bum]

I sold it to someone who signed up for Home Distillers forums the same day he emailed me. With ZERO posts. I went with my gut and he was a trustworthy source. I guess they don't have to be veterans of the site to be genuine rum bums!

[Samohon]

I sold it to someone who signed up for Home Distillers forums the same day he emailed me. With ZERO posts. I went with my gut and he was a trustworthy source. I guess they don't have to be veterans of the site to be genuine rum bums!

Well, you got away with it this time, but caution should always be paramount... I'm always the sceptic when it comes to hard cash...

[blanikdog]

I wouldn't trust me, but that's just me.

[Dnderhead]

""It's not illegal to buy and sell the stills and part, is it?""
this is a NO BUT,,
when you make a still it is supposed to be registered,then each time it is sold it
needs to have a record of to whom,then it is up to that person to register it.
so to be legal there is a "paper trail".(similar to hand guns in most of US)
there are exceptions to this,, 1) if it holds less than 5 quarts(check state)
2)if some how it is designed so it can only be used for water.

[ozone39]

What if the still is sold in two pieces (or more). Column is sold on one invoice and the boiler on a second. The unit is not sold as one. Then you are just selling parts or wall art....That eliminates the whole registering deal.....Or sell the thing as a erector set, it's not still until it's assembled....Just thinking out loud here...

[retlaw]

stills don't have to be just for shine,
they are used in the essential oil industry,
most of these oils are distilled, but not all, depends on the plant,
and there is no laws against that,
so if you are worried about selling a still because you think it makes you look like your doing a illegal activity just say you use it for distilling essential oils,

[Bayou-Ruler]

NONE

[Mr.Spooky]

you can trust me want some candy????
spook

[Bushman]

I use PayPal, I don't think anything is full proof but seems to be a little safer.

On another note

by retlaw » Sun Feb 20, 2011 11:12 am

stills don't have to be just for shine,
they are used in the essential oil industry,
most of these oils are distilled, but not all, depends on the plant,
and there is no laws against that,
so if you are worried about selling a still because you think it makes you look like your doing a illegal activity just say you use it for distilling essential oils,

I was in Portland Oregon a couple of weekends ago and tried to visit the Essential Oil company. They sell Alembic stills from Portugal but they were closed on the weekend. I was bummed because I wanted to ask some questions and just get a feel for them other than the pictures I have seen.

[Dnderhead]

"they are used in the essential oil industry,""
yes but if you use alcohol in processing then you need a permit.(even if you bought the alcohol)
and very seldom stills larger than 5 quarts are used,unless you were in a industry setting.
and then you need a license for that.there are other chemicals that can be used.

[Dnderhead]

""S3: I've seen ads for home distilling equipment in catalogs ("turn wine into brandy," "make your own essential oils"). Is it legal to buy and use a still like that?

Under Federal rules administered by TTB, it depends on how you use the still. You may not produce alcohol with these stills unless you qualify as a distilled spirits plant (see earlier question). However, owning a small still and using it for other purposes is allowed. You should also check with your State and local authorities - their rules may differ.

A still is defined as apparatus capable of being used to separate ethyl alcohol from a mixture that contains alcohol. Small stills (with a cubic distilling capacity of a gallon or less) that are used for laboratory purposes or for distilling water or other non-alcoholic materials are exempt from our rules. If you buy a small still and use it to distill water or extract essential oils by steam or water extraction methods, you are not subject to TTB requirements. If you produce essential oils by a solvent method and you get alcohol as a by-product of your process, we consider that distilling. Even though you are using and recovering purchased alcohol, you are separating the alcohol from a mixture -distilling.""

[blanikdog]

As I said originally, "What a strange question". I mean, fancy askin a question like that. What sort of answer did s/he expect? A list of untrusworthy members or what., fer crissake.

[rad14701]

<drift>
Most seasoned members here know this but it bears repeating for any novices doing research...

According to the US authorities, even producing any form of alcohol as a byproduct of distillation is illegal... That means that even if you are attempting to distill botanicals and use something like denatured alcohol as part of the process you will have broken the law as soon as any alcohol exits the distilling apparatus, whether intentional or not... Not that you'd use alcohol to extract essences, but you get my point... The size of the distillation apparatus is irrelevant, it is the extraction of alcohol that crosses the legal boundaries...

How this relates to the laws of countries other than the US is subject to each individual countries laws as they pertain to distillation in general...
</drift>

[paintball]

Read somewhere, maybe on here, if distilling a gallon or under,.. aka: tedious still er,.. easy still, that you dont need a federal permit here in the US?
Will this ballon float or can some of you shoot it down,... careful aim now,..

[rad14701]

Read somewhere, maybe on here, if distilling a gallon or under,.. aka: tedious still er,.. easy still, that you dont need a federal permit here in the US?
Will this ballon float or can some of you shoot it down,... careful aim now,..

100% False... Size doesn't matter... ANY distillation of alcohol is illegal... Not just Ethanol... ANY alcohol...

Back in high school we did a distillation of wood experiment which we were informed was illegal... That was what got me started because after we got methanol out of wood I wanted to see what else could be distilled... Blame it on my IPS instructor...

[pistachio_nut]

I'd rather recycle a little copper than pull a little time and get a record.

[Rum Bum]

"We're only on this Earth for a short time, make it fun." ~Prof. Thomas Morin

Lance

[Austin Nichols]

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